Shelter Tails: Three local shelters benefit from will

Fluffer Nutter, a 4-year-old calico cat, is among many felines at the Humane Society of Blooming Grove now getting a daily dose of vitamin D while lying in the sun. Dogs at the shelter will be safely, toasty warm this winter. And the shelter has a new storage shed and a new thrift shop — all thanks to the more than $100,000 left to the shelter in the will of Jane Chertock of Middletown, who passed away in September 2007.

Comment

By Mary Esparra

recordonline.com

By Mary Esparra

Posted Nov. 1, 2012 at 2:00 AM

By Mary Esparra

Posted Nov. 1, 2012 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Fluffer Nutter, a 4-year-old calico cat, is among many felines at the Humane Society of Blooming Grove now getting a daily dose of vitamin D while lying in the sun. Dogs at the shelter will be safely, toasty warm this winter. And the shelter has a new storage shed and a new thrift shop — all thanks to the more than $100,000 left to the shelter in the will of Jane Chertock of Middletown, who passed away in September 2007.

Half of Chertock's estate was left to Safe Homes of Orange County, a service for domestic abuse victims. The other half was divided among the HSBG, the Town of Newburgh Animal Shelter and the Goshen Humane Society. The shelters received their checks last year.

"Oh, my goodness," said ecstatic HSBG Manager Missy Veraldo, "I'm overwhelmed. The money this lady left us, we would never have been able to make these improvements to make the lives of the animals better. It also allowed us to get the thrift shop, so we can be a little bit self-sustaining as well."

The shelter now has a new lobby and an enclosed outside cat area with patio and a special fence to keep them in. Dog kennels will be painted, the floors refinished, two indoor/outdoor kennel areas added, and a memorial garden will be planted in memory of a former manager, Anna Kint.

The shelter's furnace, built in 1981, consisted of a "giant pipe with a flame, in the ceiling," said Veraldo. "The new furnace is low to the ground."

Chertock's generosity has become contagious, as the community steps up to help the shelter.

"We also insulated, sheetrocked and painted the shed for our thrift shop," said Veraldo. "These were done by Hearthstone Contracting. Andy and Margaret Stahl and their employees really took care of us."

Shed wiring and a water softener was donated by BJS Electric, and excavation work was donated by Affordable Backhoe Service. Paint donated by a resident will be used by a family of volunteers when they paint a mural in the cat room.

"Our community really takes

care of us," said Veraldo. "We wouldn't be as successful as we are without them."

The HSBG is holding a Fall Festival and Open House to show off its improvements, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Blooming Grove Highway Department and shelter, 2741 Route 94, Washingtonville. There will be craft vendors, local farmers market food, a bouncy house and more. Admission is $4 for individuals or $8 for a family.

Thrift store donations are not needed at this time, but customers are. The shop will open Saturday, and then will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-noon Sunday.

The balance of the shelter's inheritance will be reserved for special needs' animals.

The Town of Newburgh Animal Shelter's inheritance was added to an existing fund that will be used for vet bills, building improvements and capital projects planned for next spring, including painting and replacing kennel doors.

One of the pets who benefited was Missy, a 2-year-old brindle pit bull who came to the TNAS with a lump on her rear leg.

"With the donated funds," said Animal Control Supervisor Chantel Haight, "we were able to have it tested and got the bad news it was mast cell cancer."

Missy endured vet visits and surgery to remove the lump.

"Her prognosis is now excellent, thanks to this generous donation," said Haight. "She is ridiculously charming and is awaiting a permanent home."

Goshen Humane built an addition with its inheritance, as reported in the Record last December. It also put on a new roof and added fencing and a new air filtration system.

"She was a really sweet old lady," she said. "You would never know that she had a dime, by the way she lived. She knew we needed an addition, and when she found out years ago we were involved with GHS, she always brought food to the office. We never knew we would benefit the way we did. We are very, very thankful."

Thanks, Mrs. Chertock, for being a guardian angel to so many homeless pets.